This article crossed my Twitter feed the other day and it struck me as a great example of the mindset required to defend yourself against predators, whether it is a cougar or a human.

This particular quote from the article jumped out at me:

The runner did everything he could to save his life. In the event of a lion attack you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did,” Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Region manager, told KKTV.

When faced with a wild animal, nobody thinks twice that this runner did everything he could do survive to the point of choking this cougar to death.

Think about that? This guy, probably already injured and bloody, managed to subdue a cougar to the point that he could choke the life out of it.

Cougars can weigh up to 220 lbs. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar

Let’s not mince words: he choked the life out of it. Now, I don’t know what his mindset was prior to going on a run that day. I don’t know if ever considered he could be attacked by a wild animal. Maybe he did, or maybe he had to turn on that “switch” after he was attacked. You need to know that switch is there, and that you are capable of turning it on before you need it. This is the mindset you have cultivate in your training: the will to live, the will to do what it takes, the will to fight until you cannot anymore (and then find more).

This is a universal mindset in regards to your personal safety. The species of the predator is irrelevant. When it has decided that you are its next meal, you need to be able to turn on the survival switch.